Father-involvement Telephone Support Intervention on Breastfeeding: RCT

NCT05109988 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 18191141
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 649
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The World Health Organization advocates for breastfeeding as the best source of food for optimal infant development, which reduces the risk of infant mortality and morbidity. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the effect of a father-involvement breastfeeding telephone support intervention on prevalence and duration of exclusive breastfeeding, postnatal depression and parent-infant bonding. The intervention consists of four weekly 20-30 minutes telephone-administered counselling sessions on breastfeeding, delivered individually in the first month postpartum for mothers and fathers. We expect that women who receive the intervention will have a higher rate and longer duration of exclusive breastfeeding, fewer depressive symptoms and better parent-child relationship. The knowledge gained from this study can provide direction for the development of flexible, accessible and culturally sensitive interventions to promote breastfeeding and mental health in Chinese society.

Conditions

Breast Feeding, Exclusive; Parents

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding

  The prevalence/proportion of infants younger than 1 month who are exclusively breastfed is calculated as the number of infants younger than 1 month who are exclusively breastfed in the last 24 hours divided by the total number of infants younger than 1 month.

  1 month

Secondary Outcomes (11)

• Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding

  2 months

• Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding

  4 months

• Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding

  6 months

• Duration of exclusive breastfeeding

  1 month

• Duration of exclusive breastfeeding

  2 months

Study Arms (2)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention consists of four weekly 20-30 minutes telephone-administered counselling sessions on breastfeeding, delivered individually in the first month postpartum for mothers and fathers.

Behavioral: Breastfeeding telephone support

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Standard postpartum care

Interventions

Breastfeeding telephone support BEHAVIORAL

The intervention consists of four weekly 20-30 minutes telephone-administered counselling sessions on breastfeeding, delivered individually in the first month postpartum for mothers and fathers.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• aged 18 years or above;
• giving birth to a single healthy baby at term
• ability to speak and read the Chinese language

You may not qualify if:

• psychiatric illness

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Ngai Fei Wan

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Breast Feeding

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Feeding Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Fei Wan Ngai, PhD

  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The outcome measures will be collected by a research assistant who is blind to the group allocation.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: Randomized controlled trial

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 17, 2021
• First Posted: November 5, 2021
• Study Start: April 18, 2022
• Primary Completion: July 28, 2025
• Study Completion: July 28, 2025
• Last Updated: December 30, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

HK (1)